No. 25

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a glorious Fourth of July.

I had the best of intentions on the 4th. I was going to attend the Hot Chicken Festival and take candid shots of people wincing in pain, but when I got to East Park in Nashville, I saw a large herd of humans heading in one direction. For a second, I thought that maybe the Hot Chicken Festival was going to be delayed because of a parade. But, no. That was the line to get into the park, which had been fenced off with temporary fencing. They were shuffling people through what appeared to be one entrance.

I wish I could say that I had the resolve to park 3 1/2 miles away in heat that felt like over 100°, but I didn't. I ended up going to Jerry's Artarama and getting some water-soluble graphite which I will share below, so you can take a look at it. This is the coolest stuff.

After that, I went to Rick’s Comic City and saw a number of comic books that I absolutely wanted to have, but didn't know if I had them already. So I bought a couple issues of Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World, and then I came home and properly cataloged my comic books… because I am, apparently a 10-year-old.

In the meantime, enjoy this short List of Interesting Things -

📝A List of Interesting Things

🖌️Water-Soluble Graphite - I’ve been wanting to try this medium for a while, so when I saw a tiny square at Jerry’s, I got it.

This is the coolest medium. I sprayed it with some water and used a small round brush to outline the shadows of the portrait, then I just filled it in. Using self-watering brushes is the best move for this stuff for sure.

🕺Butta My Bread - This song has been stuck in my head all week. Now, it is your turn.

🗒️Things I’ve written on the internet lately

🏍️ 01: Weekend Dirtbag

Since getting a day job with a regular schedule, I’ve decided to embrace my dirtbag life on the weekends. And, if you’re a person that knows the word “dirtbag” to mean “asshat”, click here to better understand what I’m talking about - Welcome Statement.

I started a little side project called Weekend Dirtbag. It is essentially a mini adventure-capturing device for me. A diary, if you will.

I’m just getting warmed up on this project, so the writing isn’t great yet, but I’ve learned a lot from documenting these first few trips. I assume I’ll get better at it the more I do it.

In the meantime, here’s 01 -

01: Metropolis & Shawnee National Forest | 06.06.2023
We set out later than planned, but that was inevitable given how early the sun rises in the summer. Groggily, we managed to gather an excessive number of bags, including a snack bag, for our day trip. The number of bags and cameras outnumbered the humans on the journey, but we had multiple stops to make and weren’t really sure what we needed.

📷 A Day Off Using the Fimo App

Could it?! Another side project?!

Okay, a quick PSA here if you’re new - I think about doing a thing, and then I do the thing. I may only do the thing for a little while, but that’s okay because I’m doing the things for my own curiosity and with the intention of giving other people the courage to try new things. Do I give my friends and family project fatigue? Yes! Do I have more interesting stories to tell than most of their other friends? Yes. So, I am winning. Enjoy your project fatigue.

In my 20s - a million years ago - I would lug my 35mm film camera to weddings and events around town and shoot.

Recently, I’ve been playing with cameras again, and I’m having a wonderful time. I’m documenting the types of cameras, films, and stuff like that here. I’m sharing some of what I call “Life Magazine” shots and selling a few limited-edition prints and not-so-limited edition stickers and stuff for fun.

Here’s the first post of what I hope is many on Barbara_TakeMyPicture -

A Day Off
I had a day off on Friday, so I spent pretending I was on vacation. This morning I had fish tacos for breakfast like a professional. You’d be hard-pressed to find fish tacos that are better than the ones at Baja Burrito in Nashville. You’ll have to stand in a long line to get them, but when it is…

Until next time, friends,

B.A. Burgess